Ansonia superintendent on medical leave until October

ANSONIA — When school opens in Ansonia Thursday morning, Assistant Superintendent Steve Bergin will be running the system. Joe DiBacco, Ansonia’s superintendent of schools, confirmed he is stepping away temporarily due to ongoing complications from a routine medical procedure.

“I have no idea when I’m going to be back, but right now, (according to) my doctor’s notes, it’s October 1,” DiBacco said.

DiBacco has been superintendent of schools for Ansonia since 2019, and was previously the assistant superintendent. He led the district through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and then presided over a switch to remote learning. He then oversaw the reopening of the school district, which happened as isolated virus outbreaks led to temporary school closures.

Ansonia school officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

DiBacco said he was in good spirits, and was touched by the amount of well wishes he’s received. He credited the community’s caring with helping his recovery.

“There’s a lot of power in prayer. My wife is from Trinidad. I had people in Trinidad, I had people in Canada, I had people in my old school district in Hamden, everyone’s sending prayers my way,” he said.

DiBacco has had limited access to work emails since undergoing his procedure in July. He said his absence will not impact the school reopening.

During his recovery, he said daily tasks have proved to be tiring.

“I shaved the other day. And I fell asleep for two hours after. That’s how tired I’ve been,” he said.

The ongoing complications have not only impacted DiBacco’s health, but also put a stop to a summer teaching class he was preparing for earlier this summer.

“I was going to be teaching an online school finance class for Quinnipiac (University),” he said. “Because, hey, what am I going to do for the month?”

Derby Superintendent Matthew Conway said he was aware of DiBacco’s absence but that the regionalization study involving Ansonia and Derby would continue. The two districts have previously explored the possibility of combining resources to save money.

“The committee is still ongoing and meeting. Their next meeting is September 1,” Conway said.